JAKE SWAMP

Jake, a traditional Ganienkehaga (Mohawk) from Akwesasne, New York has served as a royaner for the Wolf Clan for 30 years. He was involved in many Native activities over the years, including Wounded Knee, Ganienkeh Land Reclamation, the Longest Walk, the Bureau of Indian Affairs occupation, the Fourth Russell Tribunal in the Netherlands and as a delegate to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to sitting on the Grand Council of the Iroquois confederacy, he has held numerous positions within the community at Akwesasne.

Since 1984, he has traveled extensively planting trees for peace and educating people on the culture and contributions of the Six Nations confederacy. He currently serves as the Director of the Tree of Peace Society and he is working to create a learning center for the Society. He is the author of Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message (Lee & Lowe Books, 1995).

While working with the Mohawk newspaper Akwesasne Notes, John met Jake and the two began working together in 1985. From 1989 to the present, Jake has served as a mentor for John, teaching him about the culture of the Haudenosunee, including the Thanksgiving Address, the Great Law and the Great Peacemaker, as well as issues of international protocol.

For many years, they blended their projects, traveling together with a program of natural and cultural awareness they called Tracking the Roots of Peace. Jake's message of peace, his vision of the youth of the world coming together through the words of Thanksgiving and his ceremonial knowledge continue to shine through the work of The Tracking Project.

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